Clamp connection for the attachment of plate-shaped components, particularly solar modules

ABSTRACT

A clamp connection ( 1 ) for the attachment of solar modules, on rail-shaped carriers ( 2 ) provided with guide grooves ( 5 ) with margins ( 6, 7 ) that protrude inwards into the groove ( 5 ), includes a support ( 3 ) with at least one support surface ( 12 ) present on its upper side, for a component. A T-shaped counter bearing ( 9 ) present on its lower side, where a crossbar ( 11 ) of the counter bearing can be inserted and engages behind the protruding margins ( 6, 7 ) of the guide groove ( 5 ), and of a clamping cap ( 4 ) with clamping surface ( 13 ) covering the support surface ( 12 ), and a longitudinal groove ( 16 ) which grips the upper part of the supporting brace ( 5 ), where the clamping cap ( 40 ) and the support ( 3 ) are attached to each other via a latching connection ( 18, 19, 20, 28, 48 ).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a PCT International Application of European PatentApplication No. EP11 001 119.4, filed on Feb. 11, 2011. The entiredisclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a clamp connection for the attachmentof plate-shaped components, particularly solar modules, on rail-shapedcarriers provided with guide grooves with margins that protrude inwardsinto the groove, consisting of a support with at least one supportsurface present on its upper side, for a component, and with asupporting brace which delimits the support surface, as well as with aT-shaped counter bearing present on its lower side, where the crossbarsof said counter bearing can be inserted with alignment in thelongitudinal direction of the guide groove in the guide groove, andafter a rotation by 90° it engages behind the protruding margins of theguide groove, and of a clamping cap, with a clamping surface coveringthe support surface, and a longitudinal groove which grips the upperpart of the supporting brace.

Clamp connections for the attachment of plate-shaped components aregenerally known. However, recently clamp connections for solar moduleshave reached a special position. With these clamp connections, it isespecially important that they should be very stable, with a view tovery high mechanical loads generated, for example, due to wind orsnowfall, or the size and the weight of the module. The solar modulesshould be firmly anchored via the clamp connections. At the same time,there is the requirement that no warping due to the clamping shouldoccur on the modules, which can lead to crack formations on the verysensitive surfaces of the modules.

BACKGROUND

For the state of the art, reference is made to DE 20 2008 002 264 U1 andU.S. 2009/0200443 A1. These known clamp connections are notsatisfactory, particularly because they are made up of plurality ofindividual parts which make the required on-site installation expensive.Due to the multitude of individual parts, the handling during assemblyis difficult, particularly also because the assembly is made as a ruleon carriers that are in an inclined position. The inclined orientationof the carriers leads to the individual parts slipping with respect toeach other in an unintended manner, requiring constant readjustment.

In our prior Patent Application EP 09 012 682, an improved clampconnection has been represented, whose design is simple, and whichallows a facilitated installation. This clamp connection consistssubstantially of three parts: namely a clamp support, a clamping cap,and an attachment screw. The support has a T-shaped counter bearing onits bottom side, whose base protrudes from the lower side of thesupport, and has a crossbar which, inserted in the guide groove of thecarrier, engages behind the protruding margins of the guide groove. Inthis way, a simplified installation of the clamp support on the carrieris possible. The clamping cap is placed on the clamp support, andscrewed to said support by means of the attachment screw. The marginalsides of the modules are gripped and pressed on the support by theclamping cap. On the upper side of the support, a supporting braceoriented longitudinally with respect to the carrier is present, againstwhich the module margin is applied and which is provided at the sametime as a spacer for the applied modules.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is based on the problem of further improving theclamp connection described in the prior patent application, for thepurpose of further simplifying its installation, where, at the sametime, a thief-proof attachment is to be achieved.

As starting point for the present disclosure, the clamp connectiondescribed in the above-mentioned prior application is used. This clampconnection consists substantially of a support with at least one supportsurface present on its upper side, for a component, particularly a solarmodule, and of a supporting brace delimiting the support surface orsurfaces and oriented in the longitudinal direction of the support. Onits bottom side, the support has the T-shaped counter bearing, which isinserted with its crossbar in the guide groove of the carrier. Theclamping cap has one or more clamping surfaces, which face the supportsurfaces on the support, and a longitudinal groove which enclose theupper part of the supporting brace. With regard to the support, theclamping surfaces are provided laterally with respect to the supportingbrace, namely one on each side, if two solar modules are to be grippedby the clamp connection. One clamping surface is provided, if the clampconnection is to grip only one solar module, which is the case when thesolar module is arranged as an end piece in a row. According to thepresent disclosure, the clamping cap and the support is connected via alatching connection to each other. Thus, for the clamp connection, onlytwo individual parts are provided, namely the support and the clampingcap. On the clamping cap, the latching pin is arranged, preferably byconnecting the clamping cap and the latching pin rigidly to form a unit.In the support, a bore is provided, into which the latching pin ispushed. Both on the latching pin, and also in the bore in the support,sawteeth oriented in opposite directions are arranged, which allowpushing the latching pin into the bore, while opposing the pulling ofthe latching pin out of the bore. A screw connection of the parts is notneeded; the latching pin needs only to be pressed into the bore, toattach the clamping cap to the support, and thus simultaneously grip themargin of the adjacent solar module. The formation of the latching pinand of the bore with sawteeth has the additional advantage thatdifferent thicknesses of solar modules can be gripped by the clampconnection. The sawteeth in the bore and on the pin, allow the latchingpin to be pushed at different depths into the bore, so that modules ofdifferent thickens can be clamped.

In many cases it is advantageous if the clamp connection is manufacturedfrom a plastic and the support from an elastomer. This allows a certainelasticity of the clamp connection during the clamping in of the solarmodule. In support of said elasticity, the support surfaces can beprovided with longitudinal notches. The clamping surfaces of theclamping cap are preferably provided with a silicone coating, which alsohas some elasticity.

To achieve a strong anti-theft device with the clamp connection, it isadvantageous if in the bore of the support, an insert, made of aplastic, for example, is inserted. The latching pin made of plastic andthe insert made of plastic prevent, to an increased extent, a removal ofthe clamping cap. In this connection, it is also advantageous if theinsert is provided with lateral brackets, which are applied against thelower side of the crossbar of the counter bearing. Finally, it isadvantageous if the insert is applied with its lower margin on thebottom of the guide groove, and thus generates a resistance of thesupport when the latching pin is pushed in.

For the case where the clamp connection is provided for modules ofconstant thickness, it is advantageous if the latching connectionconsists of a latching pin, which has latching lugs at its end, whichengage in cuts at the lower margin of the bore, or at an undercut in thebore.

To facilitate the pressing in of the latching pin into the bore of thesupport, the latching pin is provided with at least one longitudinalslot over the length of the sawteeth or the latching lugs. By a slightcompression of the parts of the latching pin which are divided by thelongitudinal slots, its introduction into the bore is facilitated.

An additional securing of the clamping cap on the support is achieved bythe fact that the clamping cap on its lower side has longitudinalnotches with back cuts, behind which barbed hooks present on the upperpart of the supporting brace can be clipped in. These barbed hooksextend preferably over the entire length of the longitudinal notches.

To reinforce the strength of the support, the latter can be providedwith a supporting plate, which extends both in the area of the supportsurfaces and also in the area of the supporting brace, and which isembedded in the support itself. Both the support plate and also theinsert can be inserted in the support in a vulcanization process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the appended drawing, the present disclosure is representeddiagrammatically in several embodiments. The figures show:

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of the clamp connection attached to a carrier;

FIG. 2 is a cross section through the clamp connection, with a latchingconnection via a latching toothing;

FIG. 3 is a cross section through a latching connection by means of alatching pin with latching lugs at its lower end;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail of the latching connection according toFIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged representation of a section of the clamping capwith the arrangement of the longitudinal notches and the barbed hooks.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows, in the oblique view, the clamp connection 1 arranged on apartial section of a carrier 2. In the known manner, solar modules canbe inserted in the clamp connection 1, and clamped therein. The, solarmodules are not shown here in further detail. The clamp connection 1itself consists of the support 3 and the clamping cap 4. The carriers 2are extruded profiles with a guide groove 5, which has margins 6 and 7that protrude inwards. The support 3 has support surfaces 12 thatprotrude laterally, and the supporting brace 15. The supporting brace15, with its upper part, lies in the longitudinal groove 16 of theclamping cap 4.

In FIG. 2, a cross section through the middle of the clamp connection 1is shown. Here, one can see the support 3 with the support surfaces 12,the supporting brace 15, the counter bearing 9, and the insert 24, aswell as the clamping cap 4 with the latching pin 18. The latching pin 18is pressed into the bore 17 located in the center in the support 3. Thelatching pin 18 has the latching toothing 19, while the latchingtoothing 20 is provided in the bore 17. The latter latching toothing inthe present case is located in the insert 24. The two latching toothings19 and 20 are compatible, and consist of sawteeth oriented in oppositedirections. The latching pin 18 is provided, over the length that isgripped by the latching toothing, with two longitudinal slots 21, whichare preferably oriented at a mutual angle of 90°. The longitudinal slots21 allow a radial compression of the hook arms 22 formed by thelongitudinal slots 21. In the embodiment example, the sawtooth sectionin the bore 17 of the support is formed from an insert 24 made ofplastic. The counter bearing 9 which is present on the lower side of thesupport 3 has a T-shaped design. The base 10 of the counter bearing 9comes to be applied beneath the margins 6 and 7 of the carrier 2, whenthe T-shaped crossbar 11 lies in the guide groove 5.

When the support 3 is applied on the carrier 2, the clamping cap 4 is atfirst oriented transversely to the carrier 2, so that the crossbar 11can be inserted in the longitudinal direction into the guide groove 5.After the introduction of the counter bearing 9 into the guide groove 5,the clamping cap 4, and thus also the crossbar 11, is rotated by 90°, sothat the clamping cap 4 is oriented in the longitudinal direction of thecarrier 2. The clamping cap 4 itself is made of a plastic. Its clampingsurfaces 13 are provided with a silicon coating 14. On the surfaces ofthe support 3, the longitudinal notches 25 are provided. Theselongitudinal notches 25, together with the silicon coatings 14 on theclamping cap 4, result in a highly resilient, secure clamping in of thesolar modules. The solar modules are thus held in a nondestructivemanner between the clamping cap 4 and the support 3.

The support 3 is provided in addition with a support plate 41, whichreinforces the strength of the support 3. The support plate 41 and alsothe insert 24 are attached by vulcanization in or on the support 3. Theinsert 24 has lateral brackets 26 which are adapted in terms of theirshape to the crossbars 11. They are applied on the lower side of thecrossbar 11 of the counter bearing 9, and they are enveloped on theirouter sides by the elastomer of the support 3. The insert 24 is bracedwith its lower margin on the bottom of the guide groove 5.

The clamp connection according to FIG. 3, in terms of its fundamentaldesign, is similar to FIG. 2. The latching connection is different here;it consists of a latching pin 48, which is provided with latching lugs28 at its lower end, instead of the sawteeth. In the area of thelatching lugs 28, the slots 21 are provided here too in the shape of across. These latching lugs 28 engage, when the latching pin 48 ispressed into the bore 47, into cuts at the lower margin of the bore 47or at a back cut in the bore 47. This has the result that this ratchetconnection is suitable only for a certain thickness of a solar module.This thickness is given by the gap, which is predetermined after theengagement of the latching lugs 28, between the clamping surfaces 13 onthe clamping cap 40, and the support 3. The clamping cap 40 is providedon its lower side with the longitudinal notches 46 with the back cuts43. Behind these back cuts 43, the barbed hooks 44 present on the insert42 engage, when the clamping cap 40, and thus the latching pin 48, ispressed into the bore 47.

For a secure attachment, in this embodiment, the insert 42 is extendedover the entire length of the bore 47, so that the barbed hooks 44 alsoconsist of plastic. At the same time, brackets 50 are present laterallyon the insert 42, which contribute to the strength of the support 3. Asupport plate is not required here.

Enlarged detail embodiments from FIG. 3 are represented in FIGS. 4 and5. In FIG. 4, one can see the hooking of a latching lug 28 on a back cut43 on the insert 42.

FIG. 5 shows in an enlargement the cross-sectional shape of alongitudinal notch 46. A ledge-like extension 49, which is present onthe insert 42, can be inserted into these longitudinal notches 46. Thisextension 49 is provided with the barbed hooks 44, which engage in amanner so they clip in behind the back cut 43. As a result, the clampingcap 40 is further secured on the support 3. The ledge-like top part 49can easily be deflected sideways onto the support 3, during theplacement of the clamping cap 40.

1. A clamp connection for the attachment of plate-shaped components onrail-shaped carriers provided with guide grooves with margins thatprotrude inwards into the groove, comprising: a support with at leastone support surface present on its upper side, for a component, and witha supporting brace which delimits the support surface, as well as aT-shaped counter bearing present on its lower side, where said counterbearing includes a crossbar which can be inserted with alignment in thelongitudinal direction of the guide groove in the guide groove, andafter a rotation by 90° it engage behind the protruding margins of theguide groove, and of a clamping cap with clamping surface covering thesupport surface, and a longitudinal groove which grips the upper part ofthe supporting brace, wherein the clamping cap and the support areattached to each other via a latching connection.
 2. The clampconnection according to claim 1, wherein the latching connectionconsists of a latching pin, which is connected to the clamping cap, andwhich is pressed into a bore in the support, and attached there.
 3. Theclamp connection according to claim 1, wherein the latching pin isrigidly connected to the clamping cap.
 4. The clamp connection accordingto claim 1, wherein the latching pin has a latching toothing, whichengages in a compatible latching toothing provided in the bore.
 5. Theclamp connection according to claim 1, wherein the latching toothinghave sawteeth oriented in opposite directions on the latching pin and inthe bore.
 6. The clamp connection according to claim 1, wherein thelatching pin, over the length of the sawteeth, has at least onelongitudinal slot.
 7. The clamp connection according to claim 1, whereinan insert is inserted into the bore of the support.
 8. The clampconnection according to claim 7, wherein the insert is made of aplastic.
 9. The clamp connection according to claim 7, wherein theinsert has lateral brackets, which are applied on the lower side of thecrossbar of the counter bearing.
 10. The clamp connection according toclaim 7, wherein the insert is applied with its lower margin on thebottom of the guide groove.
 11. The clamp connection according to claim1, wherein the latching connection consists of a latching pin, which haslatching lugs at its end, which engage in cuts at the lower margin ofthe bore or on a back cut in the bore.
 12. The clamp connectionaccording to claim 1, wherein the clamping cap is made of a plastic. 13.The clamp connection according to claim 12, wherein the clamping surfaceof the clamping cap has a silicon coating.
 14. The clamp connectionaccording to claim 1, wherein the clamping cap, on its lower side, haslongitudinal notches with back cuts, behind which, on the supportingbrace, barbed hooks which are present on a ledge engage by clipping in.15. The clamp connection according to claim 1, wherein the support ismade of an elastomer.
 16. The clamp connection according to claim 1,wherein the support is aligned with a support plate.
 17. The clampconnection according to claim 16, wherein the support plate and theinsert are connected by vulcanization to the support.